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The Life and Suffering of the Holy Apostle Barnabas. Cyprus

Days of remembrance: January 4 (old style) January 17 (new style), June 11 (old style) June 24 (new style) - discovery of relics

Holy Apostle Barnabas belongs to the ranks of the holy 70 apostles. His original name was Joseph. He was born on the island of Cyprus from Jewish parents who came from a family of Levites.

The ancestors of Barnabas moved from Palestine to the island of Cyprus due to wars. Barnabas's parents were very rich and had their own village and house near Jerusalem.

They raised Joseph in book learning; when the boy came of age, they sent him to Jerusalem to the then famous teacher Gamaliel, so that he could teach him a more perfect understanding of Jewish books and the entire Law of God. Here Joseph, among his peers, had Saul, who was later named Paul.

Joseph came to the Temple of Solomon every morning and evening and prayed here with zeal to God, spending the days of his youth in great abstinence.

At that time, our Lord Jesus Christ, thirty years after His incarnation, having begun to reveal Himself to the world, came from Galilee. Here He taught in the temple, performed many miracles; everyone marveled at Him, flocking to Him from all sides to see His holy face and hear His divine words. The young man Joseph also saw Him and, listening to the teachings that came from His most holy lips, was touched in heart and greatly marveled at the miracles that He performed. Joseph was inflamed with heartfelt love for the Lord and, approaching Him, fell prostrate at His feet. At the same time, Joseph asked the Lord to bless him and accept him as one of His disciples. The Lord, who saw into the secrets of hearts, kindly blessed him and did not forbid him to follow Him. Joseph, first of all, hurried to the house of his aunt, named Mary, the mother of John, later called Mark, and said to her: “Come and see Him whom our fathers longed to see...”

When the Lord went back from Jerusalem to Galilee, Joseph and the other disciples followed Him. Joseph, who received the name Barnabas (that is, “son of consolation”), became one of the 70 disciples of the Lord whom He sent to preach.

Ascension of the Lord

After going to heaven, the holy apostles lived all together in Jerusalem. At that time, Joseph also sold his village, located near Jerusalem, which he inherited from his parents. He brought the proceeds to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself, for he wanted to become rich in God, in whom he actually became rich.

Barnabas often happened to see him, and he argued with him from the Scriptures about the Lord Jesus Christ and made every effort to convert Saul to the holy faith, but Saul was a very zealous zealot of the traditions of his fathers.

Barnabas' tears and prayers were not in vain; when the time of God's mercy came, Saul turned to Christ, being called by the voice of the Lord on the way to Damascus. Then Saint Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, saying: “He who persecuted us is now ours...”

Conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus.

At this time, holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ began to spread in Syrian Antioch. The Jerusalem church heard about this, so the apostles sent Saint Barnabas to Syrian Antioch so that he would learn more about everything that happened there and would confirm the converts. Having come there and seeing the grace of God, he rejoiced greatly and consoled everyone with the word of the Lord, exhorting everyone to remain with the Lord without retreat. While Saint Barnabas preached there for quite some time, quite a lot of people joined the Lord. Since the disciples multiplied every day, but there were few teachers, Saint Barnabas, leaving Antioch for a while, went to Tarsus, wanting to find his friend Saul here. Then they both stayed in Antioch for a whole year, meeting in the temple and teaching the people. Here for the first time their disciples began to be called Christians.

After a year, Barnabas and Saul, now called Paul (see about him on the feast day of June 29), returned to Jerusalem, rejoicing the Church with the news of the multiplication of believers in Antioch and bringing generous alms from them.

Murder of Jacob Zebedee

At this time, great confusion suddenly occurred in the Jerusalem church, for King Herod began persecution. He killed the ap with a sword. James Zebedee and concluded the apostle. Peter to prison. Barnabas and Paul took refuge in the house of Mary, Aunt Varnavina, to whom the apostle also came. Peter after an angel brought him out of prison. Then Barnabas and Paul, having completed their work, returned to Antioch again, taking with them Mary’s son, John, named Mark. After they had all spent a sufficient time in Antioch, laboring in fasting, prayer, serving the Divine Liturgy and preaching the word of God, it pleased the Holy Spirit to send them to preach to the pagans. They first of all went to Seleucia, from there they sailed to Cyprus and stopped at Salamis. Having passed the island to Paphos, they met a certain sorcerer and false prophet of Judaism, named Ellima, under the anfipat Sergius, a very wise man. Here they enlightened Anfipat with holy faith, but they blinded Ellim the sorcerer, who opposed them, with a word. Having left Paphos, they came to Perga Pamphylia. Their servant John (Mark), seeing their great suffering, which they endured for the gospel of the name of Christ (for they were not at all afraid of death), was afraid to walk with them because of his young years; therefore, leaving them, he returned to Jerusalem to his mother. Barnabas and Paul came to Antioch in Pisis. Having been expelled from here, they shook off the dust from their feet and arrived at Iconium. But even here the pagans intended to stone them, so they hastened to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and preached the gospel in their surroundings. Here they healed one who was lame from birth. The people, mistaking them for gods, set out to make sacrifices to them, and the apostles barely persuaded them not to do this. Then the same people, having been taught by the Jews, rebelled against St. apostles After stoning Paul, the people took him out of the city, thinking that he was dead, but he got up and entered the city, and the next morning he and Barnabas left the city and went to Derbe. Having sufficiently preached the gospel to this city and converted many here to Christ, St. The apostles set out on their way back to Syrian Antioch. Everywhere along the way they strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and teaching them. Having ordained elders in all the churches, the apostles set out from here to Attalia, then sailed to Antioch in Syria. Arriving in the city and gathering all the faithful, they told them everything that God had done with them, and how many pagans they had converted to Christ.

Antioch Syrian

Soon after this, they arrived in Jerusalem, where all the apostles, having consulted together, decided to abolish circumcision forever for believers, not only Greeks, but also Jews, as unnecessary under the new grace. App. went with this message. Barnabas and Paul, and with them Judas and Silas, to Antioch. At this time, the son of Mary, Varnavina's aunt, did not dare to approach St. Paul, approached his uncle, Barnabas, with repentance and tears, regretting that he had been separated from them when they were preaching to the pagans. John began to ask St. Barnabas again take him with him, promising to go without fear to all suffering and even death for the Lord. Barnabas took him as his nephew. Together they all reached Antioch.

After some time, Paul told Barnabas that they should again visit their brothers, go through all the cities in which they had previously preached, to see how they lived. St. Barnabas agreed to this. At the same time, he wanted to take John (Mark) with him. Paul did not want to take him, remembering his earlier excommunication from them. There was a quarrel between them, so they separated from each other, each intending to go his own way. But this was even beneficial, since, preaching separately, they saved many more souls than they could have if they had been together. Saint Paul, taking Saint Silas with him, went to Derbe and Lystra, and Saint Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with his nephew John.

Having increased the number of believers in Cyprus, Barnabas went to Rome and, as they say, was the first to preach Christ in Rome. Then, having founded and established the episcopal throne in the city of Mediolan, Barnabas again returned to Cyprus. While he was preaching in the city of Salamis, some Jews from Syria came here and began to oppose him and outrage the people and planned to kill him. The apostle, foreseeing his martyrdom, told Mark that, after his death, he should take his body, bury it and go to the Apostle Paul to tell him everything about Barnabas.

Saint Barnabas had with him the Gospel of Matthew, written in his own hand. He bequeathed Saint Mark to bury him along with that Gospel. Then, having given his last kiss to his relative Mark, Barnabas went to the Jewish host. When he began to speak here from the books of the prophets about Christ, the Jews who came from Syria rebelled against him, outraged other Jews and, laying hands on him, took him out of the city and stoned him. Mark and the other brothers found the body of Saint Barnabas and buried him in one cave, placing the Gospel on his chest. Then he went in search of the Apostle Paul and, finding him in Ephesus, told him everything about the death of St. Apostle Barnabas. St. Paul mourned the death of Barnabas, but kept Mark with him.

The crypt where the relics of the Apostle Barnabas were found.

Because of the rising persecution, the place where the even relics of the Apostle Barnabas were placed fell into oblivion. Many years later, when the faith of Christ had spread to all ends of the earth, the Lord was pleased to glorify that place. Many wonderful miraculous healings of the sick began to occur here. No one knew anything about the relics of the apostle, so the place was called the “Place of Health.”

The holy relics of the Apostle Barnabas were miraculously found at the end of the 5th century (485-488) after he appeared three times in a dream to Archbishop Anthimus of Cyprus and commanded him to find his relics and the Gospel in the “Place of Health.” He also said to Anthimus: “And when your opponents, intending to subjugate this church to their power, begin to say that Antioch is the apostolic throne, you object to them and say - and my city is the apostolic throne, for I have an apostle resting in my city.”

Emperor Zeno (474-491) rejoiced greatly that such a great spiritual treasure had been found during the days of his reign, and ordered that the island of Cyprus should not be subject to the patriarch, but should be independently governed by its archbishop.

Monastery in the name of the Apostle Barnabas Famagusta area, Cyprus.

The archbishop soon built a great and beautiful temple in the name of the apostle. He placed his venerable relics in the holy altar, on the right side, and established the celebration of the memory of the holy Apostle Barnabas June 11, the day of the discovery of his relics.

Apostle Barnabas June 24 (Holy People)

June 24, 2011. Memorial Day of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas. The Divine Liturgy was performed by Archpriest Victor Kvasny.

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew is from Cana of Galilee, one of the 12 apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he and the Apostle Philip (November 14) were given the lot of preaching the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. While preaching the gospel, they dispersed to different cities and then came together again. The Holy Apostle Philip was accompanied by his sister, the virgin Mariamne. Passing through the cities of Syria and Mysia, they suffered many sorrows and misfortunes, they were stoned and imprisoned. In one of the villages they met the Apostle John the Theologian and together they went to Phrygia. In the city of Hierapolis, by the power of their prayers, they destroyed a huge echidna, which the pagans worshiped as a deity. The holy apostles Bartholomew and Philip and their sister confirmed their preaching with many signs.

In Hierapolis there lived a man named Stachios, who was blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he believed in Christ and was baptized. The rumor about this spread throughout the city, and many people flocked to the house where the apostles lived. The sick and possessed were freed from their ailments, and many were baptized. The governor of the city ordered the preachers to be seized and thrown into prison, and the house of Stachys to be burned. At the trial, the pagan priests complained that foreigners were turning the people away from worshiping their native gods. Believing that magical power lay in the clothes of the apostles, the ruler ordered them to be torn off. The Virgin Mariamne appeared in their eyes like a fiery torch, and no one dared to touch her. The saints were sentenced to crucifixion. The Apostle Philip was lifted up to the cross upside down. An earthquake began, the opening of the earth swallowed up the ruler of the city, the priests and many people. Others were frightened and rushed to take the Apostles down from the cross. Since the Apostle Bartholomew was hung low, he was removed soon. The Apostle Philip died. Having installed Stachy as bishop of Hierapolis, Apostle Bartholomew and blessed Mariamne left this city.

Preaching the Word of God, Mariamne went to Lycaonia, where she died peacefully (her memory is February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, there he translated the Gospel of Matthew from Hebrew into the local language and converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the Kura River and the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers), where he performed many miracles and healed the demon-possessed daughter of King Polymius. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, but he refused to accept them, saying that he was only looking for the salvation of human souls. Then Polymios, the queen, the healed princess, and many of her relatives accepted Baptism. Residents of ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. Through the machinations of pagan priests, the king's brother Astyages seized the Apostle in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku) and crucified him upside down. But even from the cross he did not stop proclaiming to people the good news about Christ the Savior. Then, by order of Astyages, they tore off the Apostle’s skin and cut off his head. The believers placed his remains in a tin shrine and buried him. Around 508, the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians captured the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle and retired to the shores of the Black Sea. But since they were overtaken by enemies, they were forced to lower the crayfish into the sea. By the power of God, the crayfish miraculously sailed to the island of Liparu. In the 9th century, after the capture of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Benevento, and in the 10th century some of them were transferred to Rome.

The holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the life of Joseph the hymnographer (+ 883, commemorated April 4). Having received from one person part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, the Monk Joseph brought them to his monastery near Constantinople and built a church in the name of the Apostle, in which he placed part of his relics. The Monk Joseph was eager to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint and earnestly prayed to God to grant him the ability to compose them. On the day of memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, the Monk Joseph saw him at the altar. He called Joseph and took him from the throne holy gospel and laid it on his chest with the words: “May the Lord bless you, may your songs delight the universe.” From that time on, the Monk Joseph began to write hymns and canons and with them he decorated not only the feast of the Apostle, but also the days of remembrance of many other saints, compiling about 300 canons. Saints John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and some other teachers of the Church consider the Apostle Bartholomew to be one person with Nathanael (John 1:45 - 51; John 21:2).

The Holy Apostle Barnabas was born on the island of Cyprus into a family of wealthy Jews and was named Joseph. He received his education in Jerusalem, being raised together with his friend and peer Saul (the future Apostle Paul) under the then famous teacher of the law Gamaliel. Joseph was pious, often visited the temple, strictly observed fasts, and kept himself from youthful hobbies. At that time, our Lord Jesus Christ began public preaching. Seeing the Lord and hearing His Divine words, Joseph believed in Him as the Messiah, was kindled with love for Him and followed Him. The Lord chose him among the 70 disciples. Among the followers of the Lord, Joseph received a second name - Barnabas, which in Hebrew means “son of comfort.” After the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, he sold the land that belonged to him near Jerusalem and brought the money to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4:36,37).

When Saul, after his conversion, came to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples of Christ, everyone feared him as a recent persecutor. Barnabas came with him to the apostles and told how the Lord appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:26 - 28).

On behalf of the Apostles, Saint Barnabas went to Antnochia to confirm the believers: “Having arrived and seeing the grace of God, he rejoiced and urged everyone to hold on to the Lord with a sincere heart” (Acts II, 23). Then the Apostle Barnabas went to Tara, and then brought the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where he taught the people in the temple for about a year. Here the disciples first began to be called Christians. On the occasion of the ensuing famine, taking generous alms, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. When King Herod killed the Apostle James Zebedee and, to please the Jews, took the Apostle Peter into custody, the holy Apostles Barnabas and Paul, led out of prison by the Angel of the Lord, hid in the house of Barnabas’s aunt, Mary. And as soon as the persecution subsided, they returned to Antioch, taking with them Mary’s son John, nicknamed Mark. At the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophets and teachers who were there ordained Barnabas and Saul and released them to the work to which the Lord called them (Acts 13; 2 - 3). Having stayed in Seleucia, they sailed to Cyprus and in the city of Salamis they preached the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. In Paphos they found a sorcerer, a false prophet named Variesus, who was under the proconsul Sergius. Wanting to hear the Word of God, the proconsul invited the holy apostles to his place. The sorcerer tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, but the Apostle Paul denounced the sorcerer and, according to his word, he suddenly became blind. The proconsul believed in Christ (Acts 13:6 - 12). From Paphos the Apostles arrived in Perga Pamphylia, and then preached to Jews and pagans in Antioch of Pisidia and throughout that country. The Jews rebelled and expelled Paul and Barnabas. The apostles came to Iconium, but, having learned that the Jews wanted to stone them, they retired to Lystra and Derbe. There, the Apostle Paul healed a man who had been unable to use his legs since birth. The people mistook them for the gods Zeus and Hermes and wanted to sacrifice to them. The apostles barely convinced him not to do this (Acts 14:8 - 18).

When the question arose whether Gentile converts should receive circumcision, the apostles Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem. There they were received with love by the apostles and elders. The preachers told “what God did with them and how He opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). After long deliberation, the Apostles collectively decided not to impose on the pagans any burden other than what is necessary - to abstain from sacrifices to idols and blood, strangulation and fornication, and not to do to others what they do not wish for themselves (Acts 15: 19 - 20). The letter was sent with the apostles Barnabas and Paul, and they again preached the gospel in Antioch, and after some time they decided to visit the cities where they had previously preached. The Apostle Barnabas wanted to take Mark with him, but the Apostle Paul did not want to, since he had previously fallen behind them. There was a disagreement, and the Apostles were separated. Paul took Silas with him and went to Syria and Cilicia, and Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus (Acts 15: 36 - 41).

Having increased the number of believers in Cyprus, the Apostle Barnabas went to Rome, where, perhaps, he was the first to preach Christ.

The Apostle Barnabas founded the episcopal see in Mediolan (Milan), and upon returning to Cyprus he continued preaching about Christ the Savior. Then the embittered Jews incited the pagans against the Apostle, took him out of the city, stoned him, and built a fire to burn his body. Later, having come to this place, Mark took the body of the Apostle that remained unharmed and buried it in a cave, placing on his chest, according to the will of the Apostle, the Gospel of Matthew, rewritten in his own hand.

The Apostle Barnabas died around the age of 62, at the age of 76. Over time, the burial place of the Apostle in the cave was forgotten. But numerous signs were revealed at this place. In 448, under Emperor Zeno, the Apostle Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to the Archbishop of Cyprus Anthimus and showed the burial place of his relics. Having begun to dig in the indicated place, the Christians found the incorrupt body of the Apostle and the Holy Gospel lying on his chest. From then on, the Church of Cyprus began to be called apostolic and received the right to independently elect a primate. Thus, the Apostle Barnabas defended Cyprus from the claims of the enemy of the IV Ecumenical Council, the heretic Peter, nicknamed Knatheus, who seized the patriarchal throne in Antioch and sought power over the Cypriot Church.

The Holy Apostle Barnabas belongs to the ranks of the holy seventy apostles: his original name was Joseph, but then they began to call him Barnabas, as we will say about this in its place. He was born on the island of Cyprus1 from Jewish parents who came from a family of Levites; From his family of Levites came the ancient great prophets of God - Moses2, Aaron3 and Samuel4.
The ancestors of Barnabas moved from Palestine to the island of Cyprus due to the wars that took place in Palestine. His parents were very rich and had their own village near Jerusalem, replete with gardens and various fruits and decorated with a large building, since here they had their home. For from the time when the holy prophet Isaiah5 wrote: “And I will build houses and dwell in them, for they will be seed blessed by the Lord” (Is. 65:21. 23), the Jews living in distant countries, not understanding the spiritual meaning these words, they tried to have their own houses in Jerusalem; for this reason, Barnabas’s parents also had their own house and their own village near Jerusalem.
Having given birth to the one about whom our word is, they named him Joseph and raised him in book learning; when the boy came of age, they sent him to Jerusalem to the most famous teacher at that time, Gamaliel, so that he could teach Barnabas a more perfect understanding of the Jewish books and the entire law of God. Here Joseph had among his peers Saul, who was later named Paul; and they both studied under the same teacher Gamaliel, progressing in intelligence, understanding of books and in virtuous life.
Joseph came to the Temple of Solomon every morning and evening and prayed here with zeal to God, spending the days of his youth in frequent fasting and great abstinence; Wanting to keep his virginity pure, he avoided meeting disorderly young men and in no case wanted to hear those words with which the young man’s mind could be darkened, but, carefully observing himself, he constantly studied the law of the Lord day and night.
At that time, our Lord Jesus Christ, thirty years after His incarnation, having begun to reveal Himself to the world, came from Galilee; here He taught in the temple, performed many glorious miracles; everyone marveled at Him; from all sides they flocked to Him in order to see His holy face and hear His divine words, sweeter than honey and honeycomb. The young man Joseph also saw Him and, listening to the teachings coming from His most holy lips, was touched in his heart and greatly marveled at the miracles that He performed; Having seen how He healed the paralytic at the Sheep's font (John 5:1-15) with His word, and having also seen many other wondrous deeds of Christ, Joseph was inflamed with heartfelt love for the Lord and, approaching Him, fell prostrate at His feet; at the same time, Joseph asked the Lord to bless him and accept him as one of His disciples. The Lord, who despised the secrets of human hearts, seeing that Joseph’s heart burned with divine love, kindly blessed him and did not forbid him to follow Him. Joseph first of all hurried to the house of his aunt, named Mary, the mother of John, who was later called Mark, and said to her: “Come and see Him, whom our fathers longed to see; for a certain prophet Jesus of Nazareth of Galilee teaches in the temple and performs great miracles, so that many consider Him to be the long-awaited Messiah."
As soon as the woman heard this, she immediately left everything and hurriedly went to the temple; Seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, she fell prostrate at His feet and said with prayer: “Lord! If I have found grace before You, enter the house of Your servant, so that by Your entry you may bless all my household.”
Seeing her faith, the Lord came to her house and blessed her and everyone who was in her house. The Lord was received by Mary with great honor and with much joy and reverence; from that time on, the Lord always went with His disciples to the house of Mary when he came to Jerusalem.
When the Lord went back from Jerusalem to Galilee, Joseph and the other disciples followed Him. And when the Lord wanted to send His apostles to preach “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6), He saw that they were few, which is why He said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37) ; For this reason, the Lord also revealed to the world other seventy disciples, whom he sent two before his face to every city and village (Luke 10:1). Among these seventy disciples of the Lord was one of the first and Saint Joseph, renamed by the holy apostles Barnabas, that is, the son of consolation, since with his preaching about the Messiah who came into the world, he consoled people who were eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Just as the sons of Zebedee were called the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), since they were supposed to thunder throughout the universe with their preaching like thunder, so this Saint Joseph was called the son of consolation, for his apostolic labors were supposed to bring great joy to God's chosen ones . And Saint Chrysostom, explaining the reason for his renaming, says (Acts 11): “It seems to me that he received his name according to his deserts, for he was fully capable (of being a son of consolation”).
After the Lord’s ascension into heaven, the holy apostles lived all together in Jerusalem, as it is written about this in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything "There was nothing in common. There was no one in need among them; for all who owned lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the apostles" (Acts 4:32,34,35). At that time, Saint Joseph, called the Apostle Barnabas, sold the above-mentioned village, located near Jerusalem, which he inherited from his parents; He brought the proceeds to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself, for he wanted to become rich in God, in whom he actually became rich, as is testified to this: “he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24) . Barnabas often happened to see Saul, and he argued with him from the Scriptures about the Lord Jesus Christ and made every effort to convert Saul to the holy faith, but Saul was a very zealous zealot for the traditions of his fathers; therefore, he laughed at Saint Barnabas, as at a deluded man, and even spoke blasphemous words against the Lord Jesus Christ, calling Him the son of a carpenter, a man of simple rank, betrayed to a shameful death. When, after the murder of the holy protomartyr Stephen by the Jews, Saul began to persecute the church, “entering the houses of believers, dragging away men and women and putting them in prison” (Acts 8:3), then Saint Barnabas greatly mourned him and fervently prayed to God, lifting up His clean hands, may He enlighten the spiritual eyes of Saul so that he knows the truth; he really wanted to have Saul as a friend in the Christian faith, just as he had him as a friend in Gamaliel’s school.
Barnabas' tears and prayers were not in vain; when the time of God’s mercy came, Saul turned to Christ, being called by the voice of the Lord from above, on the way to Damascus6. And the wolf turned into a sheep; the blasphemer of the name of Christ began to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; formerly a persecutor, became a defender of the Church; for after receiving holy baptism, Saul immediately went to the meetings of the Jews and began to preach about Jesus, saying that He is the Son of God, also denouncing the Jews who lived in Damascus. When Saul returned to Jerusalem, he “tried to pester the disciples, but everyone was afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). Then Saint Barnabas, having met him, said: “How long, O Saul, will you not cease to be a blasphemer of the great name of Jesus Christ and a persecutor of His faithful servants? How long will you resist the terrible sacrament, foretold of ancient times by the prophets, which has now come true for the sake of our salvation ?"
Saul, falling at his feet, answered with tears like this: “Forgive me, teacher of truth, Barnabas! Now I understand that everything you told me about Christ is the truth; He whom I previously blasphemed, calling him the son of a carpenter, Him I now confess myself to be the Son of God, the Only Begotten, co-eternal with the Father and co-originating, “He who is the brightness of the glory of the Father and the image of his hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3), in last days He humbled himself “by taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), becoming a perfect man, being born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, accepting free suffering and the cross; then He rose again on the third day, appeared to you, His apostles, ascended into heaven and sits on the right side of God the Father; He will come again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end."
Hearing such words from the former blasphemer and persecutor, Saint Barnabas was surprised; Tearing with joy and hugging Saul, he said:
“Who taught you, O Saul, to speak these inspired words? Who convinced you to confess Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God? Where did you learn such perfect knowledge of divine dogmas?”
Then Saul, with tears and a contrite heart, answered: “The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom I, a sinner, blasphemed and persecuted, He taught me all this; for He appeared to me as a monster, and now I still hear His divine voice in my ears.” when a wonderful light shone around me from above and I fell to the ground in fear, I heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" I, in fear and horror, said:
- “Who are you, Lord?”
He answered me with meekness and compassion: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Very amazed at His long-suffering and having prayed, I said:
- “Lord, what do you tell me to do?”
Then He taught me all that I told you (Acts 9:3-6).
After these words, Saint Barnabas took Saul by the hand and led him to the apostles, saying:
- The one who pursued us is now ours. He who opposed us now thinks with us about our Lord; the one who was previously our enemy is now our friend and co-worker in the vineyard of Christ. Here I present to you a gentle lamb, who was previously a fierce beast.
At the same time, Saul told the apostles how he saw the Lord on the road, and what He said to him; He also spoke about how he labored in Damascus for the name of Christ.
The apostles, hearing all this, were surprised, rejoiced and glorified God. And Saul was with them; together with them he entered and left Jerusalem, struggling for the name of Christ and courageously denouncing Jews and Greeks. These latter were greatly amazed at how a man who had so recently persecuted everyone who called the name of Jesus, now himself preached Jesus; and sought to kill him. Having guessed about this intention of the infidels, the brethren took Saul from Jerusalem to Caesarea and released him to Tarsus7, to his fatherland, so that he could preach the Lord Jesus Christ there.
At this time, in Syrian Antioch, a large and glorious city, the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ began to spread. For when the holy First Martyr Stephen was killed, a great persecution arose that day against the Church of Jerusalem, so that all the believers were scattered throughout the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles; then some of those who were scattered went “as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one except the Jews” (Acts 11:19); but then they began to preach the Lord Jesus to the Greeks; “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21). The Jerusalem church heard about this; Therefore, the apostles sent Saint Barnabas to Syrian Antioch, so that he would learn in more detail about everything that happened there and would confirm the converts. He came there and, seeing the grace of God, rejoiced greatly and consoled everyone with the word of the Lord, exhorting everyone to remain with the Lord unceasingly. While Saint Barnabas preached there for insufficient time, very many people joined the Lord. Since the disciples multiplied every day, but there were few teachers, so that the many harvests had no workers, Saint Barnabas, leaving Antioch for a while, went to Tarsus, wanting to find his friend Saul here; having found him, he brought him to Antioch; and both of them worked in converting human souls to Christ God, leading Jews and Greeks to faith in Christ. They stayed in Antioch for a whole year, gathering in the temple and teaching the people. Here for the first time their disciples began to be called Christians.
After a year, Barnabas and Saul decided to return to Jerusalem in order to tell the holy apostles about how the grace of God acted in Antioch. At the same time, each of the Antiochians, according to their condition, sent, together with Barnabas and Saul, everything needed by their impoverished and wretched brethren living in Judea, for then there was a great famine in Judea, according to the prophecy of Saint Agabus: this Agabus was also one of the seventy apostles. Having collected sufficient alms, the Antiochians sent it to the elders through the mediation of Barnabas and Saul.
When Barnabas and Saul, now called Paul, arrived in Jerusalem, they greatly rejoiced the Church, announcing the increase of believers in Antioch and bringing generous alms from them.
At this time, great confusion suddenly occurred in the church of Jerusalem, for “King Herod lifted up his hands against some of those who belonged to the church” (Acts 12:1), and “killed James Zebedee, John’s brother, with the sword” (Acts 12:2) . Noticing that the Jews liked this, he ordered Peter to be taken and imprisoned him, from which the Apostle Peter was led out by a holy angel. All this time, until the confusion inflicted on the Church by the persecutors in Jerusalem subsided, Barnabas and Saul took refuge in the house of the aforementioned Mary, Barnabas’s aunt, to whom Saint Peter also came after an angel led him out of prison. Then Barnabas and Saul, having completed their work in Jerusalem, returned again to Antioch, taking with them Mary’s son, named John, called Mark. After they had all spent a sufficient time in Antioch, laboring in fasting, prayer, serving the Divine Liturgy and preaching the word of God, it pleased the Holy Spirit to send them to preach to the pagans. The Holy Spirit said to the prophets and teachers who were in Antioch: “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me for the work to which I called them. Then they, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, sent them away” (Acts 13: 2,3) . They first of all went to Seleucia10, from here they sailed to Cyprus and stopped in Salamis11. Wherever they went, they proclaimed the word of God; they had as their servant the aforementioned John, later called Mark, the son of Mary. Having passed the island to Paphos12, they met a certain sorcerer and false prophet of Judaism, named Ellima, under the anfipat Sergius, a very wise man. Here they enlightened Anfipat with the holy faith, but they blinded Ellim the sorcerer, who opposed them, with a word. Having left Paphos, they came to Perga Pamphylia. Their servant John, who is also Mark, saw their great suffering, which they endured for preaching the name of Christ (for they were not at all afraid of death), was afraid to walk with them because of his young years; therefore, leaving them, he returned to Jerusalem to his mother. Barnabas and Paul, having passed through Perga, came to Pisidian Antioch (a city different from the great Antioch of Syria). Having been expelled from here, they shook the dust from their feet and arrived at Iconium13; but here too the Jews and pagans intended to stone them; Having learned about this, they hastily went to the cities of Lycaon14, Lystra and Derbe, and their surroundings and preached the gospel here. Here they healed one lame man, who had been ill since the time of his birth and had never walked; the apostles put him on his feet, so that he began to walk quite freely. The people, mistaking them for gods, set out to make sacrifices to them; at the same time, the people called Barnabas Zeus15, and Paul Hermes16, and barely the holy apostles persuaded the people not to make sacrifices to them. Then the same people, having been taught by the Jews, rebelled against the holy apostles: having stoned Paul, the people took him out of the city, thinking that he had died; but he got up and entered the city, and the next morning he and Barnabas left the city and went to Derbe. Having sufficiently preached the gospel to this city and having converted many here to Christ, the holy apostles undertook the return journey to Syrian Antioch, heading through the same cities and villages. Everywhere along the way they strengthened the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to remain in faith and teaching them that through many sorrows we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Having ordained elders in all the churches and prayed with fasting, they left their disciples to the Lord, in whom they believed. Having been in Perga and proclaiming the word of the Lord here, the apostles set off from here to Attalia,17 then sailed to Syrian Antioch, from where they were sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the word of the Lord to the pagans. Arriving in the city and gathering all the faithful, they told them everything that God had done with them, and how many pagans they had converted to Christ, and they stayed in Antioch for quite some time.
Soon after this, a dispute arose between the believing Jews and the Greeks about circumcision, for some of the Jews said that those who are not circumcised according to the law of Moses cannot be saved. Those among the Hellenes who believed considered circumcision a great burden for themselves. Barnabas and Paul opposed the Jews and defended the Greeks from circumcision. But since the dispute and bickering on this issue did not stop, it became necessary for Barnabas and Paul to go from the Antiochian church again to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders in order to ask them about circumcision. Barnabas and Paul, moreover, had to tell the apostles that God had “opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 15:4). Barnabas and Paul, sent by the church (Antioch), passing through Phenicia and Samaria, everywhere proclaimed the conversion of the pagans, which the believers greatly rejoiced at.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received here with love by the holy apostles and elders; everyone listened with joy to Barnabas and Paul, who announced all the wondrous signs and wonders that God had wrought by their hand among the pagans. Regarding circumcision, the apostles, having consulted with the council, decided to abolish it forever for believers not only among the Greeks, but also among the Jews, as unnecessary under the new grace. At the same time, the apostles considered it necessary to send some Christians from themselves, along with Barnabas and Paul, to Antioch, to the believing Greeks; For this purpose they chose Judas, called Barsabas, and Silas, men most famous among the brethren, and wrote thus: “Apostles and elders and brethren, to the Gentile brethren who are in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: rejoice. For we have heard that some who have gone out from us, confused you with their speeches and shook your souls, saying that you must be circumcised and keep the law, which we did not entrust to them: then we, having assembled, unanimously decided, choosing men, to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who betrayed their souls ours in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will explain the same things to you verbally. For it pleased the Holy Spirit and us not to lay on you any more burden than this necessary: to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and blood, and strangled things. , and fornication, and do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself. By observing these things, you will do well. Be healthy" (Acts 15:23-29).
With such a message, the holy apostles Barnabas and Paul set off on their journey, and with them Judas and Silas, heading from Jerusalem to Antioch. At this time the said John, called Mark, the son of Mary, the aunt of Barnabas, not daring to approach Saint Paul, approached his uncle, Saint Barnabas, with repentance and tears, regretting that he had been separated from them when they were preaching to the pagans: John began to ask Saint Barnabas took him with him again, promising to go without fear to all suffering and even death for the Lord: Barnabas took him as his nephew. Together they all reached Antioch. Having gathered the faithful, the apostles gave them the message; After reading it, everyone rejoiced greatly. Judas and Silas comforted the brethren with their words and confirmed them in the Lord. After some time, Judas returned to Jerusalem, but Silas continued to remain there. Paul and Barnabas lived in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord to others.
Some time after this, Paul said to Barnabas: “We must again visit our brethren; we must go through all the cities in which we have preached the name of the Lord, so that we can see how the brethren live.”
Saint Barnabas gave his consent to this. At the same time, Barnabas wanted to take with him John, called Mark, his nephew; Paul did not want this, saying: “Why do we take with us the cowardly young man who previously left us in Pamphylia, not wanting to go with us to the work for which we were sent and, having left us, returned to his relatives?”
There was a quarrel between us, since Barnabas wanted to take John, but Paul did not want to; so they parted from each other, each intending to go his own way.
All this happened at the discretion of God, so that they, going apart, would save larger number shower. It was quite enough for one great teacher to preach where two great teachers intended to go; each one, preaching separately, would make a significant gain for the Church - one in one country, the other in another, converting various peoples to the faith of Christ. Saint Paul, taking Saint Silas with him, went to Derbe and Lystra, and Saint Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with his nephew John18.
Having reached the island of Cyprus, his homeland, Saint Barnabas undertook considerable labor, for he converted many people here to Christ. Having increased the number of believers in Cyprus, Barnabas went to Rome and, as some say, was the first to preach Christ in Rome. Then, having founded and established the episcopal throne in the city of Mediolan19, Barnabas again returned to Cyprus. When he taught here about Christ, in the city of Salamis, some Jews from Syria came here and began to oppose him and outrage the people, saying that everything preached by Barnabas was contrary to God and the law of Moses; These Jews blasphemed the honorable name of Varnavino with many blasphemies and planned to kill him, stirring up many against him. The Apostle, foreseeing his martyrdom, summoned all the faithful who lived in that city; having taught them sufficiently in the faith and good deeds and having convinced them to be courageous in confessing the name of Christ, he performed the Divine Liturgy and communed all the Mysteries of Christ. Then, taking Mark, his companion, separately, he said to him: “On this same day I will end my life, accepting death from the hands of the unfaithful Jews, as the Lord told me; but you, taking my body, which you will find outside the city on the western side, bury him and go to my friend, the Apostle Paul, and tell him everything that you know about me."
Saint Barnabas had with him the Gospel of Matthew, written in his own hand; he bequeathed to Saint Mark to bury him along with that Gospel. Then, having given his last kiss to his relative Saint Mark, Barnabas went to the Jewish congregation. When he began to speak here from the books of the prophets about Christ, the Jews who came from Syria rebelled against him, outraged other Jews and, laying their murderous hands on him, took him out of the city to the western side and stoned him here; then, having built a fire, they threw the body of the holy apostle onto it for burning. But when Saint Mark, along with the other brethren, subsequently came here secretly from everyone, he found the body of the holy Apostle Barnabas unharmed, completely unharmed by the fire; Having taken him, he buried him in a cave, five furlongs from the city, and, according to the apostle’s will, he placed the Gospel on his chest20. Then he went in search of the Apostle Paul; finding him in Ephesus21, he told him everything about the death of the holy Apostle Barnabas; Saint Paul mourned the death of Barnabas, but kept Mark with him.
After the murder of Saint Barnabas, a great persecution arose from Jews against believers in the city of Salamis; Therefore, everyone fled from this city and hid wherever they could. From that time on, the place where the honorable relics of the Apostle Barnabas were laid fell into oblivion. Many years later, when the faith of Christ spread to all ends of the earth, when the Greco-Roman kingdom was ruled by Christian kings and when the island of Cyprus shone with piety and orthodoxy, the Lord was pleased to glorify the place on which the relics of the Apostle Barnabas rested. Many wondrous miracles began to happen at this place. So initially one sick person who spent the night in that place received health. The same thing happened to another patient. When the believers found out about this, they deliberately came to that place, spent the night here and received healing from their ailments. Thus the place became known everywhere; therefore, many weak and paralytic people were brought here; everyone here received complete healing from their ailments and returned to their homes healthy. Those possessed by demons were also brought here, and immediately the unclean spirits ran away from the people with loud screams. Here the lame received walking, the blind received their sight, and in general, anyone who was possessed by any illness received healing here. The inhabitants of the city of Salamis were very happy about this, although they did not know why such great miracles were performed at this place, for no one knew anything about the relics of the apostles; That’s why the place was called “The Place of Health.” But it is necessary to know how the honest relics of the holy apostle were found.
A certain evil heretic, Peter the whitewasher, nicknamed Knatheus, an opponent of the IV Ecumenical Council of the Holy Fathers22, which took place in the city of Chalcedon23, and a defender of the Eutychean heresy, as well as an accomplice of the evil faith of Apollinarius24, during the reign of Zeno25, by cunning seized the throne of the Antiochian patriarchate and brought very great harm to his the wrong teaching of the Church of Christ. But he was not content with the Antioch diocese assigned to him, in which he persecuted and persecuted Christians, subjecting them to many torments; he wanted to seize under his power the island of Cyprus, which had been free since ancient times, in order to sow his false teachings in it and persecute everyone who would oppose him (it should be noted that the Cypriots, being devout Christians, rejected his wrong wisdom about what suffered on the cross deity).
But he tried in every possible way to attract them to his side, saying this: “Since the word of God came to Cyprus from Antioch, for this reason the Cypriot church must submit to the Patriarch of Antioch.”
Because of all this, the Archbishop of Cyprus, named Anthimus, was plunged into great sadness, for he knew that that Peter, taking advantage of the king’s mercy, could very easily achieve whatever he wanted. And indeed, soon a royal order came to Cyprus, commanding the Archbishop of Cyprus to come to Constantinople to answer at the council before the Patriarch of Antioch, who demanded the subordination of the island of Cyprus to the diocese of Antioch.
The archbishop did not know what to do, for he did not dare to disobey the royal command, and was afraid to go to Constantinople. Although he led a holy life, he did not have the gift of eloquence and was afraid that he would be defeated in a dispute by his opponents. Therefore, he began to fervently fast and pray, asking with tears for help, protection and useful advice from God Himself.
Once at night, when Anthimus dozed off from great prayer work, a certain divine man appeared before him in a bright sacred robe, illuminated by heavenly rays. The one who appeared said: “Why are you, archbishop, so sad and grieved? Do not be afraid, for you will not suffer at all from your opponents.”
Having said this, the husband who appeared suddenly became invisible. The archbishop, awakening from sleep, was filled with horror; then he prostrated himself on the ground in a cross shape for prayer and began to pray with many tears, saying this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God! Do not forsake Your Church, but give it help for glory for the sake of Your holy name. If this vision was from You, then arrange so that I see him once again, I pray to You, and a third time, so that I, a sinner, can finally be convinced that You, my Helper, are with me!”
IN next night the archbishop had the same vision; the same bright man appeared to him and said: “I have already told you that you will not suffer at all from your opponents, so, without fearing anything, go to Constantinople.”
Having said this, the one who appeared became invisible.
Archbishop Anfim, again thanking God and not telling anyone anything about what he had seen, added prayer to prayer and tears to tears, that he might be worthy of this vision for the third time, and that it would be revealed to him who was the one who appeared.
On the third night, the same husband appeared and said: “Until when will you not believe my words, which will come true in the coming days? Go without fear to the reigning city, for from there you will return with glory, without suffering at all from your opponents; for God Himself me, His servant, will be your protector."
Then the archbishop dared to say to the one who had appeared: “I beg you, my lord, tell me who you are who speaks these words to me?”
He answered: “I am Barnabas, a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Holy Spirit sent along with His chosen vessel, the holy Apostle Paul, to preach the word of God to the pagans. In order for you to be convinced of the truth of my words, here is a sign for you: go out beyond the city to the western side five furlongs and in that place called the “Place of Health” (for there for my sake God miraculously gives health to the sick), dig up the ground under the tree growing horns: there you will find a cave and a shrine in which the relics are placed mine; you will also find the Gospel, written by my own hand, which I copied from the holy evangelist Apostle Matthew. And when your opponents, intending to subjugate this church to their power, begin to say that Antioch is the apostolic throne, you object to them and say: - and my city is the throne of the apostles, for I have an apostle sleeping in my city.”
When Saint Barnabas said this to the archbishop, he immediately became invisible. The archbishop, filled with great joy and greatly thanking God, called the clergy, the leaders of the city and all the people and told everyone about the triple appearance that had happened to him and the speeches of the Holy Apostle Barnabas; then he went with psalmody to that place in the presentation honorable cross. When they reached the indicated place, they began to dig up the ground under the tree, as the apostle said in the vision; Having dug up the ground from above, they found a cave covered with stones; Having removed the stones, they saw the reliquary and felt a great and indescribable fragrance; Having opened the reliquary, they saw in it the honest relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas, intact and undamaged, and they also saw the Gospel lying on his chest26. Everyone, in great joy and joy, gave glory to God and reverently bowed to the honorable relics, touching them with faith and love. At this time, many miracles happened: everyone, no matter who was possessed by any illness, received health after touching the honest relics. Then Archbishop Anfim, not daring to take the shrine containing the apostle’s relics from that place, sealed it with tin and ordered that spiritual rites be maintained at the shrine and that the usual psalmody be performed at the apostolic tomb day and night. He himself went to Constantinople; Having presented himself to the council, he answered his opponents as he was taught by the Apostle Barnabas. Emperor Zeno rejoiced greatly that such a great spiritual treasure had been acquired during his reign, and immediately ordered that the island of Cyprus should not be subordinate to the patriarch, but should be independently governed by its archbishop; He also ordered that the Archbishop of Cyprus be supplied with his own bishops.
Such freedom was granted to the island of Cyprus for the sake of the relics of the holy Apostle Barnabas: from that time on, the throne of the Cypriot bishop began to be called the apostolic throne, like other patriarchal thrones. Blessed Anthimus, Archbishop of Cyprus, was awarded great honors from the king and from the entire spiritual council. The king asked for the Gospel found on the apostle’s chest: having accepted it, he decorated it with gold and precious stones and he laid it near the royal chamber of his church; He gave the archbishop a lot of gold to build a beautiful temple on the very spot where the honorable relics of the Apostle Barnabas were found.
Thus, the archbishop returned to himself with glory and honor and soon built a great and beautiful temple in the name of the apostle; He placed the honorable relics of the holy apostle in the holy altar, on the right side, and established the celebration of the memory of the holy apostle Barnabas on the eleventh day of the month of June (on which day his honorable relics were found), to the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Kontakion, tone 3:
You were the all-true servant of the Lord, but you were the first of the Apostles in the seventies: you and Paul illuminated your preaching, proclaiming Christ the Savior to everyone: for this sake, we perform the hymn of your divine memory Barnavo.

1 The island of Cyprus was located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea.
2 Moses is the famous leader and legislator of the Jewish people, the first sacred writer who lived in the 15th centuries BC. On Mount Sinai, he received 10 commandments from God and was honored to see the glory of God. He outlined everything received from God, commandments and regulations, as well as the initial history of the Jewish people in the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch of Moses). His memory is celebrated by St. Church on September 4.
3 Aaron is the first high priest of the people of Israel, the brother of the prophet Moses (Exodus 7:7).
4 Samuel is a prophet and judge of the people of Israel, who lived in the 11th century A.D. His life and work are described in 1 book. Kingdoms His memory is celebrated on August 20.
5 Isaiah is a famous Jewish prophet who lived and acted in the 8th century. BC under the four kings of Judah; Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The prophecies of Isaiah regarding Jesus Christ are so clear and definite that the prophet Isaiah is rightly called the “Old Testament evangelist.” His memory is celebrated by St. Church on May 9.
6 The story of Saul's conversion is told in Acts 9:1-19. The city of Damascus lies northeast of Palestine, at the eastern foot of Anti-Lebanon.
7 Tarsus was a large city in ancient times, located in the Asia Minor region of Cilicia. The remains of this city have survived to this day.
8 The famine predicted by the prophet Agabus actually happened in Palestine in the year 44, under Caesar Claudius (Acts 11: 28). Many secular writers of that time, such as Josephus, Suetonius, Tacitus and others, testify to the severe famine that was raging in Palestine at that time. Subsequently, during the stay of the ap. Paul in Caesarea, he also predicted his imprisonment (Acts 21:10-11). Memory of St. the prophet Agave is performed by St. Church on April 8.
9 History of the life and work of St. Apostle Paul is set out in the book. Acts of the Apostles. See also St. Apostle Paul, below, 29th.
10 Seleucia is a seaside city in Syria on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, near the mouth of the Orontes River, 25 versts from Antioch. This city was founded by the Syrian king Seleucus Nicator 300 years BC.
11 The city of Salamis was located on the eastern side of the island of Cyprus. Its ruins are located near the village of Famagusta.
12 The city of Paphos was located on the opposite coast of Salamis on the island of Cyprus. Paphos was the main city of the island and the residence of the proconsul.
13 Iconium is a city in Asia Minor. Now Konia.
14 Lycaonia - Asia Minor region.
15 Zeus, or Jupiter, - supreme god Greco-Roman religion.
16 Hermes or Mercury was considered the patron of trade and industry by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
17 The city of Attalia was located in the Asia Minor province of Pamphylia, near Perga, not far from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays there is a town called Antali with 800 inhabitants.
18 Acts 15:36-41; 16:1. Some suggest that the holy Apostle Barnabas, after preaching on the island of Cyprus and other places, again joined St. the Apostle Paul and shared his preaching works; They also think that it was Barnabas who was the brother sent by the apostle. Paul together with Titus to the Corinthians, who, according to St. Paul, is glorified throughout all churches for his gospel (2 Cor. 8:18).
19 Mediolan or Milan is an Italian city located in the province of Lombardy. In history Christian Church known as the place of archpastoral activity of St. Ambrose, the most famous father and teacher Western Church, who lived in the 4th century. His memory is committed to St. Church on December 4.
20 Death of St. the Apostle Barnabas followed approx. '62
21 Ephesus is a city in Asia Minor, lying between Smyrna and Miletus, near the Caistra River, not far from its confluence with the Icarus Sea.
22 The IV Ecumenical Council took place in 451 and was convened to expose the heresy of Archimandrite Eutyches of Constantinople, who argued that in Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the deity, and therefore recognized in him only one nature - divine.
23 Chalcedon, or Kalchedon, was originally a Megarian colony on the shores of the Propontis (Sea of Marmara). Under Christian emperors, Chalcedon was the capital of the Asia Minor province of Bithynia.
24 Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea, unjustly taught that the Son of God, having become incarnate, did not take on full human nature, but only a human soul and body, while His human mind was replaced by divinity. This heresy was condemned on II Ecumenical Council, which took place in Constantinople in 381.
25 Zeno reigned from 474 to 491.
26 Honest relics of St. Apostle Barnabas were found between 485 and 488.

Apostle Bartholomew

Apostle Bartholomew, also called Nathanael, was one of the 12 apostles. He came from Cana of Galilee. (John 21:2) and was probably a relative or close friend of the Apostle Philip, who led the saint to Jesus Christ.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Bartholomew had the fate, together with the Apostle Philip, to go to preach in Syria and upper Asia.

For some time, the apostles separated: Philip went to Asia Minor and preached in Lydia and Moisia, and the Apostle Bartholomew preached the gospel in other places. But at God's command, Bartholomew came to Philip's aid. Having come to him, he shared his labors and sufferings with him. They were both helped by the sister of the Apostle Philip, the Holy Virgin Mary.

After suffering on the cross with the Apostle Philip, St. Bartholomew, taken from the cross alive, gave burial to the Apostle Philip.

Having stayed in that city for several more days, confirming the Christians in the faith with Mary, he went to India. There, having instructed the residents in Christian faith, organized Christian communities and churches and translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language.

He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the Kura River and the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers), where he performed many miracles and healed the demon-possessed daughter of King Polymius. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, but he refused to accept them, saying that he was only looking for the salvation of human souls.

Then Polymios, the queen, the healed princess, and many of her relatives accepted Baptism. Residents of ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example.

Through the machinations of pagan priests, the king's brother Astyages seized the Apostle in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku) and crucified him upside down.

The apostle, hanging upside down, did not stop teaching the people. The torturer, unable to bear this, ordered to tear off all the skin from the apostle and then cut off his head.

The believers placed his remains in a tin shrine and buried him.

Around 508, the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians captured the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle and retired to the shores of the Black Sea. But since they were overtaken by enemies, they were forced to lower the crayfish into the sea. By force God's cancer miraculously sailed to the island of Liparu. In the 9th century, after the capture of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Benevento, and in the 10th century some of them were transferred to Rome

Apostle Barnabas

The Apostle Barnabas came from a wealthy Jewish family living in Cyprus. At birth he was given the name Josiah, or Joseph. The Lord chose him among the 70 disciples, and Joseph received the middle name Barnabas, which means “son of comfort” or “son of prophecy.”

According to ancient tradition, Barnabas is considered the head (“luminary”) of the 70 apostles.

He belonged to the tribe of Levi and descended from the prophet Samuel.

In his youth, Barnabas was sent by his parents to Jerusalem, where, together with Saul (the future Apostle Paul), he studied with the famous teacher of the law Gamaliel.

Barnabas's family had rich possessions in both Cyprus and Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, Barnabas witnessed the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, as well as other miracles performed by Christ in the Jerusalem Temple.

Seeing all this, Barnabas. fell at the feet of the Savior and asked for his blessing.

Barnabas' apostolic activity began after the stoning of the first martyr Stephen.

After the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven, Barnabas sold the land that belonged to him near Jerusalem and brought the money to the feet of the apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4:36,37).

When Saul, after his conversion, came to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples of Christ, everyone feared him as a recent persecutor.

Barnabas came with him to the apostles and told how the Lord appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus.

Then the Apostle Barnabas went to Tarsus, and then brought the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where they taught the people in the temple for about a year. Here the disciples of Christ first began to be called Christians.

Together with Paul, the saint preached the Gospel in Asia Minor, in Cyprus. He was perhaps the first of the apostles to go to Italy to preach and founded an episcopal throne in Mediolan (Milan).

Returning to Cyprus, the saint continued his sermons, but was captured by the pagans, who stoned him and lit a fire to burn his body. But the apostle’s body remained unharmed. He was buried in a cave, placing, according to Barnabas’ will, the Gospel of Matthew, rewritten in his own hand.

At the time of his death around 62 A.D. Apostle Barnabas was 76 years old.

Over the years, the burial place of the apostle in the cave was forgotten. But numerous signs were revealed at this place.

In 448, under Emperor Zeno, the Apostle Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to the Archbishop of Cyprus Anthimus and showed the burial place of his relics. Having begun to dig in the indicated place, the Christians found the incorruptible body of the apostle and, lying on his chest, the Holy Gospel. From then on, the Church of Cyprus began to be called apostolic and received the right to independently elect a primate.

The head of the Apostle Barnabas is today kept in the church of the city of Conca dei Marini in Italy.

Holy Apostle Bartholomew (Nathanael) sedmitza.ru

Memory of the Holy Apostles Barnabas and Bartholomew: sedmitza.ru

Dimitri Rostovsky Lives of saints azbyka.ru

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

The folk Christian holiday Barnabas Day is celebrated on June 24 (June 11, old style) every year. The day is dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Barnabas (Joseph) of the 70s, Bishop of Milan.

Other holiday names: Barnabas, Barnabas the strawberry farmer.

On this day, the extraction of steam began. “Don’t tear up the grass on Barnabas - the cattle will be left without feed in the winter,” people said.
In many areas on this night people walk until dawn. They make fires, around which they dance and sing.

Story

The birthplace of Saint Barnabas is the island of Cyprus. His ancestors moved there from Palestine during the wars. At birth the boy was named Joseph. His father and mother instilled in him a love for the Lord from a very early age. When he became an adult, his parents apprenticed him to the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Together with Joseph, Saul, the future Apostle Paul, taught the word of God there.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem, Joseph asked to follow him. So he became one of the Lord’s 70 disciples and received a new name - Barnabas, which means “son of consolation.”

All his life the apostle preached in different cities and countries. In Mediolan (modern Milan) Barnabas founded the episcopal throne. When he returned home, he built the Cyprus Orthodox Church. He continued to spread the teachings of Christ until the Jews who rebelled against him stoned the 76-year-old apostle to death. This happened around 61-62.

Traditions and rituals

“According to legends, evil spirits gathered from all over Barnabas - demons, witches, devils, ghouls in order to divide the land and inheritances among themselves. It is interesting that in this case the rampant of evil spirits occurred at noon, and not at night, as usual. They decided which of them would scare people, which would tangle the tails, manes and fur of domestic animals, which would bring an unknown disease to children, and which would fill the herbs with poison.

“Having reached an agreement among themselves and dividing responsibilities, the evil spirits began to roll around on the ground and grass and, naturally, carry out all the “important matters” they had taken upon themselves. Therefore, on this day the grass was not mowed or torn; the peasants believed that this way they could capture evil spirits, and with them all the misfortunes. Medicinal herbs were not collected either, because on this day they were considered poisonous.

- From June 24, mermaid days began, in which water spirits became visible. They had fun and had weddings. It would be good if the mermaid chose a devil as her husband. If she paid attention to a living person, she lured him to a remote place where she could tickle him to death. In many areas that night people walked until dawn. They made fires, around which they danced and sang.

“It was believed that the very movement of mermaids greatly influences the earth, vegetation, and, consequently, the harvest. For example, mermaids walk through the field during the flowering of rye and wheat, and where the mermaid passes, the bread becomes thicker. Favorite hobby These creatures - swinging on tree branches - also has a magical effect: it promotes the ripening of fruits.

Signs and sayings

From dawn it is stuffy and smells strongly of honeysuckle - a sign of bad weather.
Don't tear up the grass on Barnabas - the cattle will be left without feed in the winter.
The sun at dawn is pale - for evening rain.
Fog spreads across the water - to the mushroom harvest.
Pigeons hiding means bad weather.
Ducks are constantly diving and splashing - it will rain.
If the bees do not fly to the field in the morning, but sit in the hives and buzz loudly, it will rain.
Hear an elf singing at night - good sign, a harbinger of protection from evil spirits for the whole year.
When Barnabas the Strawberry Farmer visited, they went into the forest to see if the strawberries were ripe: if they were ripe and red, then a good harvest of berries could be expected this summer.
Those born on June 24 are not destined outer beauty, therefore, only through their work and knowledge do they attract attention. But they are given the ability to find a way out of any situation.